Still Old School: The Washoe in Anaconda

Construction on the Washoe Theater started in 1931, and the Depression held it up until opening night on September 24, 1936, according to the Historic American Buildings Survey. The Washoe Amusement Company paid about $200,000 for a 1,000-seat house. B. Marcus Priteca of Seattle designed it, and Gus Forseen, a Missoula contractor, built it.

Inside, the survey credits Hollywood artist Nat Smythe with the designs and watercolor sketches, three expert decorators with the murals, and members of the Painters Local of Anaconda with most of the wall and ceiling work under his supervision. The color scheme is pastels with eight shades of gold leaf, plus burnished gold on the relief work. Smythe’s original drawings were still with the owner when the survey was done.

Cinema Treasures lists the opening feature as The Texas Rangers with Fred MacMurray. On September 24, 2026, the Washoe marked 90 years by showing The Texas Rangers again, free. The rest of the fall calendar is regular first-run movies at $7 for adults, $6 for kids, and $6 on Sextet Nights.

Make a night of it. Club Moderne, the 1937 Streamline Moderne bar on Park Avenue, is a few minutes away. If you’re nearby, stop in and keep them busy.